Stephen A. Smith has cut ties with Papaya Gaming, the company behind the solitaire game the ESPN personality promoted as part of his ambassadorship to promote the upcoming World Solitaire Championship (WSC).

“Papaya and I have mutually agreed to end our partnership,” Smith, 58, told Front Office Sports on Friday.

It comes after ESPN reportedly recently ordered other on-air talents — Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky, Laura Rutledge and Kendrick Perkins — to sever ties with Papaya.

Stephen A. Smith looks on from the field during warmups prior to an NFL football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 3, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. Getty Images

ESPN brass in Bristol, Conn., was not aware of the Papaya relationship with its talent and did not approv

See Full Page